Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

 Lost Stars by Claudia Gray is a coming of age story of love and war. This young adult Star Wars novel starts off eleven years before the events of A New Hope, when the two main characters, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, meet for the first time at a ceremony being held by the Galactic Empire on their home planet. The two of them quickly become friends, and, later on, join the imperial academy on Couruscant. After both of them gain a substantial amount of experience fighting for the Empire in the actual Galactic Civil War, Thane eventually realizes that he disagrees with the Empire’s ways so much so that he would rather be on the other side of the war, the Rebel Alliance. Thane joins the rebellion and continues to fight in the war despite Ciena still being on the opposite side. The book follows Thane and Ciena until after the events of Return of the Jedi.

As an experienced storyteller, and someone who has gained a positive reputation among hardcore Star Wars fans, Claudia Gray understands this universe in incredible ways. She provides such strong connection between the reader and her characters.

Lost Stars gripped me right from the start. It may not include too many of the fan-favorite characters from the movies that we all know and love, but nonetheless, that doesn’t sell it short. It can actually be quite fascinating to look at this fictional war from the point of view of lesser-known characters. If you’re a Star Wars fan who is looking for a novel that can serve as a love story, character study, or even just something that can give you perspective of the empire and the rebellion both in the same story, then Lost stars most definitely for you!

(Pic: Shaun with Author)

Shaun Hood
Library Page

Available within the Merrimac Valley Consortium